Now, last year, back in 2010, the rides were free, so people were lining up at 3:00 AM. But this year, the cost will be $29, so that will certainly cut down on the riff-raff, and therefore surely shorten the queue.

(And oh, our friends from up in the Great White North just told me that they will be highly disappointed if Edwin Lee, San Francisco’s once (and future?) Mayor chickens out, if he blows off his obligation. Other Mayors have done it and it all worked out fine. See below for one example…)

All guests are required to sign an Assumption of Risks and Release of Liability Agreement (coming soon) before zipping. Under 19 requires signature by a parent or guardian.

The ziplines are gravity fed, so guests do not have to worry about controlling their own speed. Guides are stationed at each tower to connect (launch platform) and disconnect (landing platform) each and every guest. Age restrictions apply and guests must weigh more than 65 pounds and no more than a maximum of 275 pounds.

California Attorney GeneralJerry Brown can’t abide gang wars in Steinbeck Country. So today he’s telling us about the people in his Gang Suppression Enforcement Program, along with a whole bunch of other California and federal peace officers, arresting 94 suspected Montery-area Norteños and Sureños.

And to keep things going, Jerry just announced a local, Salinas-area gang task force.

Anyway, there was a big press conference today – look at who all was there.

“Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today discussed “Operation Knockout,” in which agents from Brown’s Gang Suppression Enforcement Program (GSEP) of the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement arrested gang members after an eight-month, wide-ranging investigation and sweep targeting the most powerful gang leaders in the Salinas area.”

Brown Announces Major Gang Takedown in Salinas

SALINAS – Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced that more than 200 agents from his Gang Suppression Enforcement Program and other law enforcement agencies today arrested 37 members of two vicious gangs responsible for a rampage of violence — including more than three dozen murders and 200 shootings — that terrorized the citizens of Salinas and nearby areas.

Today’s mass arrests culminated an eight-month operation, code-named “Operation Knockout,” aimed at apprehending members of the Norteños and Sureños gangs that turned Salinas into a hub of murder, robbery and drug dealing.

The operation targeted the most dangerous gang leaders in the Salinas area. In addition to the arrests made today, agents seized 40 pounds of cocaine, 14 pounds of marijuana, nine ounces of methamphetamine, $34,000 in cash, and 12 guns. An additional 57 arrests were made before today’s sweep.

“Operation Knockout was designed to restore safety to the streets of Salinas,” said Brown. “Citizens in John Steinbeck’s hometown deserve better than having to endure a violent crime rate that’s three times the national average. We owed it to the people of Salinas to arrest these out-of-control gang members and ensure a heightened sense of personal security throughout the city.”

Are we saying to get there way early in the day? I think that’s what we’re saying.

Irregardless, NBC’s accounts of when people got into line and when they were able to ride that day (if ever) are enlightening. And, agreed, it’s probably not a good use of time to drive all the way up from San Hoser just to try to go for a 20-second zip.

Today’s mise-en-scene. From the left: the temporary Peter Pan (opening April 27th!) tent from England, the temporary zipline tower from British Columbia, and the permanent(?) Vaillancourt Fountain from the bowels of Hell:

You’ll ascend the 80 foot tower and encounter a friendly Canadian guide at the top. If you need a pep talk, you’ll get one:

You’ll soon be steadying your nerves by glancing at your jump buddy…

…and then you’ll be off, into the wild bleu.

Sisters doing it for themselves:

Can you see the nervous giggles? There’s your team bonding right there.

And this is what it feels like. Everything zooms by with a quickness, and there’s a loud buzzing above your noggin. Some people go upside-down even.

And they’ll totally let you bring a camera to make your own YouTube:

You owe it to yourself to try.

Don’t dissappoint lovely Ashleigh. She brought her Olympic Gold all the way down here just so you’d consider Vancouver as the starting point for your next vacation:

“The zip line will start from a launch tower 80 feet off the ground and will carry users 680 feet to a 30-foot-tall landing tower. The zip-line will be free to the public and open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through April 18. Thursday’s launch event is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. and will include performances by the Le-La-La Dancers, an aboriginal dance troupe from Vancouver Island.”

Those people in British Columbia, they like to have fun. So, in order to get you to think about taking your next vacay up in the Great White, they’re going to install a 600 680-foot-long zip-line* in Embarcadero Square and run it for eleven days starting April 8th, 2010. And, assuming you meet their physical requirements (it looks like I’ll qualify, but 280-pound Epic Bearded Man Thomas Bruso probably won’t), you’ll be able to harness up and go for a 225-yard ride FOR FREE.

Imagine zooming over the giantwhite tent they’re constructing for Peter Pan (opening April 27th!) at neighboring Sue Bierman Park. You can fly, Wendy, you can fly.

See you there April 8th. (Can you already visualize people using their iPhones to Tweet about how long they have to wait for their free rides? I can. If not for our generous Northern Cousins, this kind of thing should cost about $100 American (or Canadian, don’t think there’s much diff these days)).

“When: Thursday, April 8 – Sunday, April 18th 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. What: The British Columbia Experience, featuring: – Free 600 ft. Urban Zipline: Open to the Public. Note: There are no age restrictions, but guests must weigh more than 65 pounds and no more than a maximum of 275 pounds. The ride will be free of charge. Where: Justin Herman Plaza at Embarcadero Square, San Francisco, California”

“VICTORIA – One of the most popular activities during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is heading to San Francisco as part of an exciting tourism marketing campaign, announced Kevin Krueger, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts. From April 8 to 18, a 183-metre (600-foot) zipline will be set-up in Embarcadero Square in San Francisco as part of the BC Experience showcase. The showcase will feature the Whistler-based Ziptrek Ecotours zipline, free public dance performances by the Le-La-La Dancers – a world-renowned Aboriginal dance group – an interactive video display featuring videos and beautiful images of B.C., a 3-D art installation and an updated version of the “You Gotta Be Here” advertising campaign in subway stations throughout the city.“We’ve just finished hosting the largest and most successful celebrations in the world and the zipline in Robson Square was obviously one of the most popular public activities during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,” said Krueger. “We want to bring that excitement to San Francisco, a city that is one of our key markets for attracting new travellers, to show people the diverse range of travel experiences they can find in B.C. and invite them to visit.”The Canadian Tourism Commission is also hosting their annual US Media Marketplace in San Francisco April 12-14, at which over 150 US-based travel writers and editors will meet with Canadian tourism representatives.To help launch the BC Experience, two gold-medal winning Olympians, Canadian ski cross racer Ashleigh McIvor and US speed skater Shani Davis, will be among the first to try the zipline and participate in a public autograph signing.As a result of the Olympic marketing campaign, the number of Americans in the target demographic considering a leisure trip to B.C. has nearly doubled. This increase represents nearly nine million more potential U.S. visitors. Approximately 14 per cent of US visitors to B.C. come from California.The BC Experience is part of a post-Olympic North American consumer marketing campaign that will use online advertising, social media and search marketing to reach potential visitors. The campaign will reach out to consumers who have already expressed interest in travel to B.C., and present customized offers based on their interests.The campaign will focus on a range of experiences, including golf, food and wine, and outdoor adventure to create a greater depth of interest in experiencing B.C.’s tourism products.”

For more information on B.C. tourism opportunities, please visit www.HelloBC.com.

Leaving the final words with Alex P Keaton – in re: British Columbia, “You Gotta Be Here.”

Here it is – the official SUV of the mayor of San Francisco. See it, with umpty-ump “HYBRID” badges and decals? The problem with this heavy vehicle is that if you bought one just like it for yourself, you’d be prohibited from using it on many San Francisco streets under Section 501 of the San Francisco Transportation Code.

SEC. 501. VEHICLE WEIGHT RESTRICTIONS.

(a) Prohibition. Operation of a vehicle with gross weight in excess of 6,000 pounds on the Streets listed in Section 501(b), or the operation of a vehicle with unladen weight in excess of 18,000 pounds on any Street listed in Section 501(c) is a violation of Division I, Section 10.2.36 (Weight Restricted Streets).

(b) 6,000 lbs Limits. No person shall operate a vehicle of a gross weight in excess of 6,000 pounds on the following Streets:

Is your home on a “Weight Restricted Street? Read on to find out. Click to expand:

The problem comes from adding the hybrid stuff weighing 400 pounds to a regular Chevy Tahoe SUV. That pushes the gross weight with the driver and who all else up over three short tons. And that means that this vehicle needs an exemption to be legal on many blocks of S.F.

But we’re in luck. Check out exemption (6) below: Any vehicle owned by the City while being used in the course of official business. That’s the ticket. So let’s review. Your heavy Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid with a saddled up weight of over 6000 lbs. = prohibited on some City streets. The mayor’s exact same model of heavy Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid with a saddled up weight of over 6000 lbs. = not prohibited on any City street.

Now last year, this larger Lincoln SUV was being used by the mayor. It probably also needed the exemption to be legal. (Note the different brands of tires left and right(!?) Can you see how the treads are totally dissimilar? This unorthodox arrangement, the kind of which the Costco tire department wouldn’t even begin to imagine letting you try, was labeled “safe” by one of the mayor’s spinmeisters. O.K. fine.)

The official SUV the mayor was driven around in last year. Click on the photo to expand and you’ll see the tire treads. Any accident investigator would have found this setup interesting to say the least. Anyway, bygones.

(d) Exemptions. The provisions of this Section shall not be applicable to:
(1) Any vehicle which is subject to the provisions of Sections 1031 to 1036, inclusive, of the California Public Utilities Code and which has received a certificate from the CPUC pursuant to those Sections declaring that the public necessity and convenience require the operation of the vehicle, provided that the certificate authorizes that vehicle to be operated within the City, and the vehicle is being operated for the purpose authorized in the certificate. This exemption shall not apply to vehicles operated as round-trip sightseeing tour service as defined by the CPUC;
(2) Any commercial vehicle coming from an unrestricted Street having ingress and egress by direct route to and from that portion of the restricted Streets set forth below, when necessary for the purpose of making pickups of refuse, pickups or deliveries of passengers, goods, wares and merchandise from or to any building or structure located on such restricted Street, or for the purpose of delivering materials or equipment to be used in the actual and bona fide repairs, alteration, remodeling or construction of such restricted Street, or for any building or structure upon such restricted Street for which a building permit has previously been obtained;
(3) Any vehicle owned by a public utility while in use in the construction, installation or repair of any public utility;
(4) Transit vehicles operated by the SFMTA along a regularly scheduled route;
(5) School buses when operated for the transportation of school pupils;(6) Any vehicle owned by the City while being used in the course of official business;
(7) Emergency vehicles.
(SFMTA Bd. Res. No. 08-151, 8/19/2008)